


By Demons Be Driven

by Jetsetlife138



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Asexual Character, Cruelty, Demonic Possession, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Human Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Tentacles, public fingering, shadow sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:21:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22654666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jetsetlife138/pseuds/Jetsetlife138
Summary: An all-powerful demon has escaped hell and is enlisting the help of an unwilling participant. Madness ensues.
Relationships: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	1. Preface

It was six o'clock in the morning when her eyes ripped open from the shock of the shrill and redundant  _ beep beep beep _ coming from the alarm clock. As she reluctantly groaned and raised her arm to hit the snooze button she thought about how it was bullshit that anyone should have to be awake before the damn sun is even up. The aggravating sound suddenly stopped, interrupting her thoughts before her hand even reached the clock. Squinting her eyes, she rolled her head to the side to look at the clock.  _ 6:01 _ was blinking in red. 

She groaned aloud. Apparently, the alarm clock wasn’t working right. That was something for future Nyx to worry about. 

Shifting back onto her side, she had hoped to get in a few extra minutes of sleep until she heard the television turn on in the other room. Knowing it had to be her roommate, she flipped onto her back with an annoyed sigh. 

_ “Seriously, Charlie?” _ she thought to herself.  _ “You’re gonna blast the T.V. this early in the damn morning?” _

“Charlotte!” she shouted from her bed, using her roommates full name to show her aggravation. “Turn it down! I’m trying to fucking sleep!” Her surroundings instantly became silent as she buried her face in her pillow, not bothering to question why Charlie was suddenly so unusually compliant. 

Before she could drift off to sleep, her cell phone on the nightstand began to ring.

“Fuck me” she whined as she grabbed her phone. Strangely, the moment her fingers touched the phone, it stopped ringing. Glancing at the screen, she noticed that it didn’t even register that it had received a call. 

Baffled, she started to set the phone down when the alarm clock went off again. As she leaned to turn it off, the television could be heard in the other room, too, only this time louder. Within a few seconds, it seemed as though every object in the apartment that could make noise was suddenly projecting sound as loudly as possible, making her bolt upright, hands over her ears, struggling to understand what the hell was happening.

Then, as soon as it started, the noises ceased. Heart pounding, she looked around her room wondering what the hell just happened. Head spinning, she barely noticed that her radio was short circuiting, the dials turning on their own, releasing a mess of static from the speakers. 

Listening intently, she heard nothing but static until a low, somewhat nasally voice projected from the radio. “Hello Nyx.”    
  
Holy shit. Her radio was talking to her. How in the hell was this happening?!   
  
The voice continued speaking, his voice cutting in and out due to the static interfering with the signal. “I-… -en trying t-… -a hold-… -you…”

“What?” she called out to the mysterious voice, frustration quickly building up inside of her after getting the shit scared out of her so early in the morning. “I-I can’t hear you. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

The radio dial moved a bit more, trying to find a clearer signal. Finally, it stopped and the voice continued. “Listen to me. This is very important. I require your services my dear girl. I need you to do something for me.”

“Very funny, asshole. Who is this?” she answered, noting how ridiculous she looked actually talking to a radio. “Charlie, if this is you, I swear, I’m going to kick your ass. This isn’t funny.” 

The voice ignored her as he continued to provide instructions. “Go to the church on Edgewater Avenue. There is something I need you to retrieve for me. It is of utmost importance. Do you understand what I am telling you, Nyx?”

With an annoyed and somewhat amused huff, she replied, “Okay, ha-ha. Great prank, dick. I’m hanging up now.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned impatiently. “You  _ have _ to do this, darling. I can assure you that you’ll regret it if you don’t. Go to the church, Nyx. I will not be so kind if you refuse my instructions.”

The morning was really not a good time to fuck with anyone, let alone a girl with a short fuse. “Look, fuckwad, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t know who you are and I don’t know how you’re doing this, but it doesn’t matter. Cut it out, or I’ll hunt you down and kick your ass.” To be honest, she was only somewhat bluffing. 

Getting up from her bed, she stomped over to the radio before violently ripping out the plug from the outlet on the wall, causing the light to dim and the static to die out. Returning to her bed, she quickly fell into her pillow, ready to return to sleep. Just as she had gotten comfortable, the familiar, disturbing sound of her alarm clock went off. Reaching to shut it off for the last time, she halted when she read what was displayed on the front. There were no numbers, only letters scrolling across the screen. 

_ You cannot ignore me, Nyx. Don’t bother to run. Take my hand. _

The moment she finished reading, the same static-filled voice was heard from behind her, catching her off-guard. “Nyx,” whispered eerily.

Nyx whipped around to see a creature in the shadows holding its hand out towards her. She was unable to clearly see his face and could only make out his silhouette in the darkness. “Come with me,” he said in a voice that was both inviting and equally terrifying. 

It was as if her heart had stopped beating. She couldn’t move or breathe in view of the fact that she was frozen with fear. He quietly cackled at her response, peeling his lips back into a crooked smile revealing long, jagged teeth that sent chills up her spine.

Not waiting for her response, he took her hand in his, which burned to the touch and held it against his chest. “You’re not going to regret this, darling,” was all that escaped his lips before a shrill  _ beep beep beep  _ rang throughout her head, blurring her vision into a mess of darkness and confusion. 

Nyx sat up gasping, holding her hand to her pounding heart which was beating fiercely against her chest. She had turned to the source of the piercing sound.  _ 6:00 _ was blaring back at her in the dark from her alarm clock. She switched it off and turned on the light sitting on her nightstand, illuminating her dark room. Her eyes darted around the room searching for the frightening figure that had haunted her.    
  
Sighing with relief, her pounding heart started to slow down upon the realization that it was just a nightmare. “Holy shit. It was just a dream. Just a bad dream,” she reassured herself.

Relief washed over when she realized that it was a nightmare and that she was not, in fact, really being haunted. Lost in thought, she then absentmindedly gazed down at the hand that had been grabbed by the shadowy figure. She choked on her own breath and her eyes widened with terror as she noticed that it was red and swollen… as if it had been burned. 

  
  



	2. Inner Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to emphasize that this story is meant to have vague details about the world it takes place in. The setting can be animated, three-dimensional, or whatever you want. If you want to picture humanized-Alastor, go for it. If you see it as an animated Alastor in a three-dimensional realistic world, you can. It's whatever you want it to be.
> 
> I’m not sure if that makes any sense at all, but I just thought it might be even more confusing if I didn’t address it. 
> 
> Enjoy xo

What the actual fuck? Was it possible for dreams to cause a physical reaction on the body?

Nyx’s head was spinning with questions as she got into the shower shortly after her bizarre nightmare. She figured that the water would help reduce her stress as well as the pain surging through her hand. The area where the shadow-man had touched her in her dream was raw and agitated.

Leaning her head back under the running water, she breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying the feeling of her worries flowing down the drain with the water. She was adamantly ignoring the fact that as soon as she stepped out of the shower, her troubled thoughts would overwhelm her once again. 

She ran her fingers through her wet hair, not thinking about anything in particular until she started to have a very uneasy feeling. There was an eerily overwhelming sensation that she suddenly wasn’t alone. Poking her head out from behind the curtain, she looked around but saw nothing. Pushing the abnormal feelings aside, she continued with her shower.

Shortly after that, she distinctly heard someone laughing. “Charlie?” she called out, wondering what she was doing up so early.

No one answered. Abruptly, she felt a gust of air rush past her, making her shiver and catching her off guard since there was no window or anything that could logically explain the draft. A low chuckle echoed throughout the room, just barely loud enough for her to hear. Again, she checked from behind the curtain of the shower and saw no one, but the laughter continued.

“Who’s there?” she asked nervously, shaking despite the steam surrounding her. The laughter died out slowly, leaving her to question her sanity. She rushed through the rest of her shower, now wondering if she was actually going crazy.

Hurriedly, she stepped out of the bathroom, snugly wrapped in a towel and was heading to her room before she heard dishes clattering in the kitchen. Grateful for the distraction, she entered the kitchen to find Charlie searching for a bowl to make breakfast with. The two of them shared a small apartment together near their college campus. “Morning,” she yawned, briefly acknowledging Nyx’s presence as she was more focused on what she could eat before class.

Nyx halfheartedly nodded in response before asking, “Hey, did you sleep okay last night?”

“Like a baby,” she replied before biting into the apple she had grabbed off of the counter in lieu of cereal. “Why?”

“I was just curious…” Nyx trailed off. Charlie eyed her curiously as she continued to loudly chew her apple. Nyx sighed tiredly before explaining further. “I had a weird dream is all. Or maybe it was a night terror, I don’t know. I guess I was wondering if it had anything to do with that Thai food we had last night.” she paused to think about the consequences of asking her next question due to the fact that Charlie could get overly passionate about odd and superstitious circumstances. “Do you think it’s possible for dreams to have an effect on people physically?” Pain subtly surged through her hand at the memory of the dream.

Charlie halted her obscene chewing and with a puzzled expression, she replied, “Hmm, I’m sure it’s possible. I mean, our brains are so complex and powerful that we haven’t even fully been able to understand its limits. Our brain is what controls how we process anything physical, so yeah, I would definitely say that they can.”

“Ah. Well, that’s good, I guess...”

“Why do you ask? Did your dream disfigure you? You look normal to me,” she teased before taking another bite out of her apple.

Nyx casually waved her uninjured hand and shook her head. “No, not at all. I was… just curious. Thanks, Char.” Without waiting for a response, she headed back to her room. 

Nyx was eager to rid herself of the uneasy feeling that was plaguing her thoughts. She couldn’t seem to take her mind off of the dream, more specifically the shadow-man who was in it. His words were constantly playing on repeat in her head along with his sinister smile and macabre stare.

In a sad attempt to distract herself, she tried thinking about the lecture that awaited her in her next class, but it was pointless. She quickly pulled on some clothes, grabbed her books, and walked out the door. After a short train ride, she was on campus, sluggishly making her way to class. 

It wasn’t enough that she was already exhausted over lack of sleep, but to make matters worse, she could have sworn she was seeing the same terrifying silhouette of the strange shadow-man in some of the reflections of the windows she passed. 

Paranoid, and thinking that she was being followed, she kept looking around, but there was never anyone there behind her that resembled the man. It didn’t take long for her to become annoyed with herself and admit that her anxiety was getting out of control. She needed to let it go and move on. It was just a dream for fuck’s sake, and her hand was already feeling a lot better. She probably just smacked it on something in her sleep. 

Taking her usual seat in the farthest corner in the back of the lecture hall, she had hoped that class would take her mind off of things. She wasn’t having the easiest time lately. Besides having night terrors, she was falling behind in classes, struggling trying to maintain her time between school and her social life, all the while having to work to be able to pay for school. 

Nyx had been on her own for a long time due to the fact that she and her family had become estranged because of some past bullshit. On top of all that, her most recent relationship failed because of her alleged lack of empathy. Nyx had plenty of fucked up things going on in her life that she should have been more concerned with, so the fact that she was caught up in a dream and a sore hand was stupid.

Class had begun and she already felt herself getting bored. Her lack of sleep from last night wasn’t helping and the fact that she had never been a morning person was keeping her from concentrating. The professor was discussing the same subject that the class had gone over for the past week, so instead of taking more notes on the same topic, she laid her head on her hand and stared lazily at the professor giving the lecture. Taking a quick scan of the room, she could see the rest of her classmates were feeling the same.

Just as she was beginning to zone out, a strange voice whispered by her side, “My, my. Educational institutions have certainly plummeted since my day. Surely, they cannot expect you to learn anything from this upstaged wurp. How does one manage to pay attention and not expire of boredom?”

Nyx quietly snickered and turned slightly to acknowledge who had spoken. Upon seeing who the voice belonged to, she choked on her own laughter and bolted upright in surprise as she turned to face the man sitting next to her.   
  
It was the shadow-man from her dream. Glancing frantically around the room in panic and alarm, she waited for someone else to acknowledge his presence, but no one was paying the slightest bit of attention.

“How-… who-… the fuck-…?” was all she managed to stammer hysterically. It was nearly impossible to properly form words or a coherent thought as she continued to gawk in confusion, trying to logically explain how this was happening..

“Close your mouth, darling. That’s quite rude,” the man suggested with a smirk, his voice crackling. Nyx hadn’t realized that her mouth was hanging open in bewilderment so she quickly closed it, taken aback by his bizarre tone of voice and his mocking behavior. That’s when she realized that his voice was far from normal. It was as if he was speaking through a dated television set or a radio. It was weirdly condensed with a static overlay, which was completely unnatural. 

He chuckled darkly at her reaction and continued, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Nyx. I’m sorry to drop in unannounced like this. I was hoping for something a little more… intimate…” he paused, smiling wickedly before continuing, “But time is of the essence and it’s customary to get introductions out of the way.” The longer he spoke, the more she realized that the radio filter was not a constant occurrence. His voice seemed to fade in and out from the radio affect, which was even more unnerving. How in the hell was he doing that? 

Before she could fully comprehend what he was saying, she took a minute to really look him over. His features were now clearly visible, which had previously been lost in the darkness and shadows of her dream. He appeared to have black and red hair with two large out-of-place tufts on the top with… antlers? No way. Wait… could the tufts of hair be _ears_? This guy looked like something you would see in a cartoon or a comic book. He was unlike any other person she had met. In fact, he looked like a cross between a human and a deer.

Focusing back on his hair, she noted how it was full, unkempt and shaggy, which was a juxtaposition compared to his tight fitting red dress-shirt, red striped coat, and black bow tie. He had large, vibrant red eyes that either had to be contacts, or he was a mutant of some kind. Nyx supposed that would explain the antlers. 

He didn’t appear to be any older than his early 30’s. His high cheekbones accentuated his small pointed nose which gave him a boyish appearance in comparison to his tall and lean body frame.

As she finished surveying him she noticed that he was smirking. Nyx snapped back into the present after he playfully teased, “Please try to pay attention, Nyx. I’m not _that_ pretty. We have far more pressing topics to discuss.”

The creature took a moment to glance down at Nyx’s sore hand, which was still reddened and puffy from the burn. He winced slightly, all the while maintaining a smile, which hadn’t left his face since she had first laid eyes on him. “I am sorry about that. I clearly underestimated our connection. I truly didn’t think that touching you would have such a severe effect. It was not my intention to cause you harm.” 

Still not fully coming to terms with her current situation, Nyx blurted out, “Who are you? How do you know me?” Nyx had been trying her best to stay quiet so as not to draw attention to them, but it was difficult when she was nearly having a panic attack. In addition to that, the strange man was not at all inconspicuous and stuck out like a sore thumb.   
  
Already forgetting her question, Nyx anxiously looked around the room to see if anyone else was watching and listening in on their discussion. The man followed her gaze, surveying their surroundings before answering her unspoken question, “Don’t worry about them, darling. No one here can see me... except you, of course.” He added with a wink. He made it seem as though he was laughing at his own joke that no one else was in on.

Slowly, her fear was beginning to fizzle out and become replaced with annoyance with whatever game he was playing. “Okay, look. This is really weird and I don’t appreciate being ambushed by a--… what even are you? A Furry? Wait-- you know what, nevermind. I don’t care. You need to leave me alone. Oh, and a word of advice? You might also want to check yourself into a psych ward.”

His playful look suddenly became eerily rigid. “I’ll allow your attitude to go undisciplined for now, but do not test me, Nyx. As much as I enjoy mind games I’m in a bit of a hurry and need you to do what I tell you. As I mentioned before in your bedroom, the place you seek is on Edgewater Avenue. The structure is currently vacant, so you will not have any trouble getting in. Upon arrival, I’ll provide further instructions, but you need to go there. Now.”

“Excuse me? Are you insane?” she hissed, losing her patience. Nyx had felt her sanity crumble with each passing minute as she allowed herself to continue having a conversation with the delusion from her dream. “How many times do I have to say ‘no’ before you understand? Fuck off, you weird psycho deer thing!”

His eyes abruptly became several shades darker as they flashed in anger and Nyx suddenly became aware of the heat radiating off of his body. She looked down at his clenched fists suddenly nervous and very aware of his close proximity to her. 

“Nyx,” he warned through clenched teeth, still upturned in a grin, which made him appear even more menacing than if he had frowned. “No one else can do this for me. You’re the only one who has the ability to complete this task and refusal is not an option.” He carefully emphasized the last phrase, “I am not always going to be this nice, so stop wasting time and do what I tell you to do.”

Despite his grin, the tone of his voice told her that he was serious, but that didn’t matter. She remained expressionless as she took a deep breath, leaned in closely and simply answered, “...No.”

The word barely escaped her lips before a black shadow, similar to the one from her dream emerged from the deer-like creature, lunging at Nyx and making her cry out in shock. She instinctively raised her arms in an attempt to block the attack, falling clean out of her chair due to the force of the impact. 

“Get the fuck off of me!” she shouted, still shielding her face from her attacker as she felt the weight of him on top of her. 

He began shaking her and she attempted to fight back until she realized… he wasn’t hurting her. Hesitating, she cautiously opened her eyes and lowered her arms, only to discover multiple concerned and alarmed faces staring back at her. 

Gasping, she slowly sat up and realized that the entire classroom, including the professor, was gawking at her, waiting for an explanation. “I-I’m so sorry... I need to be excused,” she stammered breathlessly. 

Face flushed with embarrassment, she hastily grabbed her things with shaky arms and sprinted out the door, trying her best to ignore the laughter from her classmates as she exited. 


	3. Demon Drink

Nyx was having a mental breakdown. That had to be it. That was the only explanation for her sudden night terrors. Or… day terrors, too? Fuck. She clearly needed to see a doctor, or a psychiatrist or some sort of trained professional. It was apparent that something was fucked up in her head and she needed to get it sorted out. Being mentally unstable was not something she needed to add to her plate.    
  
Catching her breath while she was absentmindedly walking across campus, still lost in thought, she hardly noticed her name being called from across the quad. Her body became rigid as she halfheartedly looked in the direction of who was calling her, afraid it was one of her previous classmates coming to taunt her. Instead, she saw Charlie approaching her with a big grin on her face, which faded fast when he saw Nyx’s frightened expression. “Nyx? What’s wrong?”

Nyx was still dazed from what had happened and she really didn’t feel like rehashing the details with Charlie right at that moment. “Uh, nothing. I… fell asleep in class, she lied, impressed with how quickly she came up with the fabricated story. “I made an idiot out of myself by snoring and the professor asked me to leave.” 

Charlie laughed heartily, “Sweetie, I don’t blame you. I had Mr. Clem last semester. Trying to stay focused in his class is more difficult than learning the actual material.” She patted Nyx’s back reassuringly as she spoke. “Don’t sweat it, I’m sure you’re not the first one to pass out in his class, and you won’t be the last.”

“Yeah… thanks.” Nyx sighed, finding it difficult to retain anything that she was saying. “I just… I need to decompress. I think I’m going to take a walk until my next class. You know, just get some air.”    
  
Nyx really wasn’t in the mood to talk and Charlie’s the type of friend who would set aside everything in order to help someone out. She didn’t want Charlie to stress about it. Hell, she didn’t even know if there was anything to stress out about. It could be a matter of sleep deprivation and she was overthinking the whole thing. Or... at least that’s what she was trying to convince herself of.

“Yeah… okay,” Charlie said with a subtly concerned look. “But call me if you need anything. And do us all a favor and pull yourself together before tonight,” she playfully mocked.

“Got it... wait-” Nyx paused, confused. “What’s tonight?”   
  
Charlie took a minute to stare at her with a dumbfound expression before replying, “Umm… the party? One of the biggest parties of the year and one that I just so happened to be hosting? The party that we’ve been exhausting ourselves over for the past 3 months?” 

Shit. Nyx had completely forgotten about the party. How was that even possible? It was something that she and Charlie had been looking forward to for several months, how could she be so dismissive? 

“Right. The party. Duh. I-I was kidding, Charlie,” she lied through her teeth. ”I obviously wouldn’t miss it. Everything should be in order, so I can just meet up with you there.”

Charlie looked at her skeptically before giving her a short nod. “Yeah, okay… I’ll see you tonight then.” It was obvious that she knew something was up, but she wasn’t going to force you to talk about it.    
  
The two girls parted ways and Nyx started making her way into town. She went on walks fairly often. It was something she liked to do particularly when she was stressed and needed to get out of her element. Often times, she didn’t think about where she was going or where she would end up. Nyx simply let her feet do the thinking and when she was tired, she would find her way back. 

After about an hour or so of walking and taking care to avoid as many unwanted reflections as possible, she noticed that she was in an unfamiliar area. Nyx ventured further down the road until she was able to find a street sign. When she read it, she nearly choked on her own breath. 

Edgewater Ave.

Again, her head was whirling with questions. Could it have been a coincidence? What were the odds that her mindless wandering would lead her to that street? 

Her curiosity got the better of her as she continued to walk down Edgewater Avenue. It was a pretty run-down block. The street was lined with old, seemingly abandoned buildings and she couldn’t understand why. An entire college campus and thriving civilization were just a few miles away. What had happened to this place? 

Nyx continued to look around until something had caught her attention, stopping her in her tracks. At the end of the street was a tall, gothic-style church with a blood-red door, which seemed completely out of place among the quaint, small buildings surrounding it. Nyx began to approach it to get a closer look and once she was directly in front of the church, she had a strong sense of unease.    
  
Though she was nervous, she proceeded forward. It seemed that she was unable to disregard the urge to go inside to get a better understanding of why she was drawn to this place. She wanted to know if this was the church the creature from her nightmare had been talking about. When she was merely a couple of steps from the door, her cell phone rang, pulling her out of her trance.

A bit irritated by the interruption, she stopped to check who was calling. When she saw that it was Charlie, she knew she couldn’t ignore it. “Hello?” she answered a little impatiently.

“Hey Nyx, listen, about the party tonight… don’t freak out… but one of the speakers just blew and we need another one for tonight.”   
  
“What?” Nyx asked, still dazed.    
  
“Don’t worry, I talked to Vaggie and she said that we could borrow one of hers, but would you mind picking it up? I’m already here setting things up and getting it all ready.”

Nyx was still too focused on the church to really be paying attention to anything that she was saying. “Wait… what happened to the speaker?”  
  
“Earth to Nyx!” Charlie shouted into the phone. “Come on, hun! We’ve been waiting for this! This party is going to bring in a lot of people and I really need you to be on top of your game tonight, okay? Please?” 

Nyx had been too wrapped up in her own shit to remember what this truly meant for her friend. Charlie had a strenuous relationship with her parents and was always trying to make them proud. She overexerted herself a lot in order to keep up with appearances, seeing as her family was well-known by a lot of people in town. She felt like she had to live up to the family name. Throwing a party to finish up the year was her way of doing that, and knowing Charlie, it would be the biggest social event of the season. 

“Alright, yeah, sorry, I’ll pick it up.” Nyx finally agreed, snapping out of her previous trance.   
  
“Cool beans, thank you. I’ll see you when you get here. And… Nyx… whatever is going on with you, it’s going to be okay.” Before Nyx could give a response she had hung up the phone. Ugh, why did Charlie have to be such a good friend? Nyx needed to focus on what was most important. The event should have been her main focus, not some weird church in the middle of nowhere.    
  
She turned around, forcing herself to forget about the church for the time being, and called an Uber to take her Charlie’s girlfriend’s house to grab the speaker and head over to the party. 

Charlie and the others had already set up most of the equipment and decorations by the time Nyx arrived. She helped set up the speaker and we tended to whatever other chore Charlie had in store for her. Nyx had downed a few beers in the process to help her loosen up for the event.    
  
When the venue started to fill with people and the music was echoing throughout the hall, Nyx could finally relax and surrender to the vibe. All of the nervousness and unease from the past few weeks melted away as the music surged through her. 

A few hours later, after taking part in every beer guzzling game that was being played, as well as after imbibing every drink and shot that was handed to her from the people, she was smashed. Nyx was inebriated to the point where she could barely stand anymore. She could feel herself stumbling all over the place as she made her way to any flat surface on which she could sit for a few minutes. sIt was difficult to see straight and everything was a blur.    
  
Luckily, she found a bench on the outskirts of the crowd on the terrace in the back of the building. Though she had been having a great time, and she loved interacting with her friends, she was grateful for the chance to step out away from all of the people while she was on the verge of getting sick. Pacing herself better would have been a good idea, but it had been such a relief to get out of her own head for awhile that she didn’t care about how shitty she would feel tomorrow. 

Nyx drunkenly sat down and raised her head to look up at the sky. The stars were swirling in the darkness and she focused on their movement for a while, appreciating their beauty in her intoxication. Shortly after, she could feel someone sit down next to her and casually drape their arm over her shoulder. “My, my,” said an eerily familiar voice. “You’ve outdone yourself tonight, haven’t you?” The stranger with the low and static voice lightly chuckled at her apparent state of inebriation. “Take this, darling. Have some water.”

Without looking at who was offering the refreshment, she gratefully took the plastic cup and quickly gulped down the water inside of it. “Thank you,” she replied weakly, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand.

“It’s my pleasure, Nyx.” The stranger’s voice was dangerously soothing. “Now, I hate to be repetitive, but have you reconsidered since the last time we spoke?”

Slowly turning her head to face the person who was talking to her, it took a few seconds to try and stop the world from spinning so that she could focus on the man through her half-lidded eyes.    
  
Then it clicked. Nyx gasped and immediately tried to fight her way out from underneath his arm that he had swathed over her. “Y-You!” she stammered.

Holding her down, he laughed darkly at her response. “Don’t act so surprised. You should have known that I would be paying you another visit. So, what is your answer, Nyx? We can’t keep meeting like this.”

Her mind was on overdrive and she was honestly trying to keep from throwing up, both from drinking as well as from fear. “L-look,” she slurred, stupidly leaning closer to the creature’s face, to which he raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “I’m sorry, b-but I can’t help you. You are gonna have to find someone else. I-I can’t. I…” she couldn’t even finish her thought. Forgetting what she was going to say, she leaned back and let her head fall backwards onto the bench before shutting her eyes, letting the alcohol consume her. 

“Well, that’s not the answer that I was hoping for, but not to worry. I still have confidence in you.” The creature gently patted her shoulder in reassurance. “We still have time, but not much. I would advise you to take caution, Nyx. Do not make the mistake of underestimating me or taking my kindness for granted. Asking for your cooperation is simply a courteous gesture on my part, and is not at all required to get you to do what I want.”    
  
He paused for a moment, waiting for her response before exhaling deeply with vexation. Though Nyx was plastered, she could have sworn that she felt him caress the side of her face lightly before tenderly brushing her hair out of her face. Had she not been so afraid of him, she might have even found that enjoyable. “Maybe this will enlighten you,” he suddenly spoke, breaking the short-lived silence.

Opening her eyes and quickly sitting up, she felt him remove his arm from around her. Everything was still spinning, but she could see him a bit more clearly than before. He stood up and winked at her before turning around to walk up to a group of people in the middle of the terrace who were quietly chatting with each other, sipping on their drinks. 

The creature grabbed one of the girls from the circle and took her aside so that her attention was only on him. No one from her circle of friends had even seemed to notice. The girl looked familiar, but Nyx couldn’t see clearly see anything right in front of her face, let alone a girl from across the way.    
  
The thing from her nightmares began engaging in conversation with her, making the girl laugh boisterously. It was a laugh that Nyx knew well. It was then that she realized that he was speaking to her roommate, Charlie. 

Confused, Nyx continued to look at the two of them, wondering as to whether or not they knew each other or if the strange man was trying to convince Charlie to go to the church for him rather than herself. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when they both stopped speaking to each other, only to stare directly at Nyx instead. Her confusion soon turned to horrific disbelief as the stranger started to shake, his eyes widened, turning into what appeared to be black dials, which she could even see from a distance.    
  
His mouth began to open up to an impossible length as he unhinged his jaw with a sickening cracking sound. Sharp, jagged teeth became more pronounced and were jutting from his mouth. Without warning, he ripped into Charlie’s jugular. The both of you screamed as Nyx lurched forward from the bench, tripping over herself and falling to the floor.

The blood was falling fast as the monster continued to chomp at Charlie’s throat until he reached the bone. Charlie’s head fell back, her neck practically gone . Nyx continued to lay on the ground, dumbfounded, suddenly more sober than should have been possible. Looking around the terrace, she desperately hoped that someone would see what he was doing and stop him, but no one even glanced in their direction. 

The monster dropped Charlie to the floor when he was done and slowly wiped the blood from his mouth, which only smeared it further across his face. He popped his jaw back into place and his long, sharp teeth went back to their normal size. Nyx glared up at him from the floor, not fully able to even breathe and yet somehow simultaneously sobbing.    
  
He walked closer to her, his lips peeled back in a wicked grin. When she finally managed to speak, she shouted, “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would you…?” Another sob interrupted her speech as she became a pathetic, heaping mess on the floor. 

The creature chuckled lightly and knelt beside her. “This was a warning, Nyx. I’ve been very patient with you so far. I suppose you could say that I’ve grown a soft spot for you.” He brought his bloody hand under her chin and lifted it so that she was staring into his burning, soulless eyes. “Do not disappoint me.” The stranger then raised up his other hand and snapped his fingers loudly, making the world go black.   
  


* * *

Nyx jolted up, taking in a deep, sudden gasp of air. Her eyes darted around the familiar setting where people were laughing and talking merrily out on the terrace. Clutching her chest, she felt like her heart was literally going to explode out of it. It didn’t take long to realize that she was back on the bench on the outskirts of the crowd. Remembered what had happened, she frantically glanced up to see Charlie talking happily with a group of fans. 

“Charlie!” she croaked from the bench. Upon hearing her name, Charlie looked around for a moment before spotting Nyx and making her way over, excusing himself from the group. 

“Nyx, you lush,” she laughed when she approached Nyx. “What are you doing over here? Did you seriously pass out?”

Jumping up, Nyx threw her arms around her, which caused Charlie to stumble back a bit from surprise. “Okay, I think you’re done for the night. Let’s get you back before you puke all over the place,” he lightheartedly teased.   
  
After Charlie helped her to her feet, they made their way towards the car. Nyx clung onto Charlie’s arm, both for balance as well as for fear of her mortality. Honestly, Nyx was having difficulty determining what was real and what was a dream anymore.   
  
Foolishly, she took one final glance behind her. Nyx physically shook as she saw the creature from her visions in the middle of the crowd, smiling at her. He raised a bloody hand and delicately placed a finger up to his lips to whisper, “Shhh”.    
  
His gesture was the last thing she could remember before blacking out. 


End file.
